Thursday, June 10, 2010

Rollin' along


Lots of little steps forward on multiple projects. Sometimes I feel a bit schizophrenic because I am working on so many disparate projects at the same time but it just seems to be part of my personality. It drives my loved ones crazy sometimes but I do eventually get things done.

Finished Objects:

The Go Green Sock Knitting Tote is finally finished. I had all the components done but it required a little hand sewing to finish, which I managed to put off until today. I'm nothing if not a champion procrastinator. But 'tis finished at last.

The Lacy Rib Socks are off the needles as well. These took a little longer than they should have, only because I've been working on so many other things at the same time. However, they were still finished in under 20 days. Again, the yarn pooled in a very annoying fashion at the gusset/ankle area. This tendency in hand-painted yarns ticks me off sometimes but they are still very soft and comfortable. They should be just fine under jeans or inside boots.


In Progress:


My big gardening project is actually a furniture refinishing project. I've been stripping and sanding our patio dining set. Once I started the project, I found that all four chairs were very wobbly and some of the joints were damaged. So what started as a simple refinishing process ended up being a reconstruction project. All four chairs had to be disassembled and rebuilt with new dowel joints and stronger glue. Hubby did most of the reconstruction (I'm better at destruction) and I finished painting all the furniture with primer and a base coat.


I'm trying to decide if I'm going to go for a crackle finish/distressed finish or just polyurethane the paint finish and leave it bright and light. The advantage of a distressed finish is that this furniture sits outside all year around and is likely to get distressed all by itself. If it starts out that way, the subsequent wear and tear will look intentional. But I have to admit, I like the buttery yellow color I concocted from two cans of leftover paint. I may just do a little stenciling, age it with a little tinted wax and let it weather from there.
Finally, I am still carding the Coopworth fleece, little by little. I took it with me to our homeschool beach day last week, and to our little knitting group at Dunn Brothers Coffee on Monday night, and it is always a conversation starter. Everyone who is new to this process is just fascinated by the carding process. I get lots of questions and even more requests to touch the finished rolags. I have a long way to go to finish all the wool but I feel good about the steady progress I am making.
Well, that's it for now.
Going to go work on the TUSKAUFOFE #6 intallment - Diagonal Lace Socks.
Ta-ta.






4 comments:

livnletlrn said...

Wow, your outdoor furniture looks great. What a big job, but fantastic results!

Rani said...

How fun! You have been busy. I am a bit behind in my blog reading. Did you go to the big fiber festival? I'm off to catch up on your blog. In the meantime, the furniture looks amazing. Really! Brand new. . . better than new.

The pooling on the socks was at least in the same spot! It looks kind of cool.

Carding wool. What can you NOT do, woman?

Guinifer said...

I find I have that pooling problem with most of my hand-dyed.

Also? Despite the weathering, I think I vote light and bright. But then that might just be my mood.

Lynne said...

I love the colour of your outdoor furniture.

You could try knitting two rounds with the outside end of the ball then two rounds with the inside end of the ball; this should stop the pooling. Don't put the yarn changeovers along the back of the sock or it will be most uncomfortable! And remember to twist the yarns round each other.